by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | News, Reviews
By Kev Rowland
We all have guilty pleasures when it comes to music, that one band or album that we’re not really supposed to like if we are to maintain our credibility. Well, I’m not too sure about maintaining it, as I don’t think I’ve ever had any to begin with, but back in 2001 I was sent an album by Roadrunner to review which I still think contains a great many wonderful songs, yet “friends” have mocked me for still having it in my collection. The album is ‘Silver Side Up’, and of course, the band is Nickelback. With songs such as “Never Again” and “How You Remind Me” it has been a “go to” album for me, but until now I have never heard another band that has taken that formula of strong riffing guitars, pounding drums and one singer often being tracked by another, and hook after hook after hook. Well, I have now.
This is the second album from British quartet Stone Broken, and if they’re not taking that particular blueprint and very much making it their own, then I really don’t know what to say. The band was formed in 2013 by frontman Rich Moss with guitarist Chris Davis, bassist Kieron Conroy and long-time musical soulmate Robyn Haycock on drums, since when they have been creating quite a stir on the live circuit. With the release of this, I can only see their name getting bigger, as this really is one pounding radio-friendly metal/rock classic after another. There is a groove here that makes the body move, the head nod, and the mouth smile. I am sure that there will be some naysayers, but the last time I looked Nickelback had sold more than 50 million albums, so for all the guilty pleasures there are plenty of people out there who like them (even if they hide the CDs away from their mates). Punchy, powerful, dramatic, and damn fine, this is simply superb.
9/10
by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | News, Reviews
By Kev Rowland
To describe this album I think it is probably best to listen to the words of singer Lisy Stefanoni, who says “We love the different styles of folk music and the various approaches of the main musicians. We also love the Celtic music. In the metal genre, folk metal inspires us the most. We listen to bands like Eluveitie, In Extremo, also symphonic projects like Ayreon and The Gentle Storm. Those who love folk-metal will certainly appreciate our songs because we all come from that musical background. We take our fans on a journey to a place where myths are real and there is evidence of the magic forces of our planet. In this world, the listener can meet legendary creatures walking into enchanted landscapes or see ancient rituals happening.” This is the third album from Italy’s Shadygrove, who feature members from Elvenking, Evenoire, and Sound Storm.
They certainly don’t sound Italian but sound as if they have been listening to the likes of Iona and have grown up in the Celtic tradition. With violin, piano and flutes/whistles adding to the mix, and strong female vocals, the result is an album that anyone who has ever remotely enjoyed listening to acoustic folk will gain a great deal from. That I am hearing them for the first time, on their third album, is something of a travesty, and I can see that I am going to have to do my best to rectify that in the near future. This music is definitely right up my particular alley, but instead of being dark it is full of light and dancers. The press release states that it will be for fans of Blackmore’s Night and Loreena McKennitt, but in reality, this is for anyone who appreciates and enjoys great music coming out of the tradition.
8/10
by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | News, Reviews
By Kev Rowland
There are times when I get incredibly frustrated, and this is one of them. I was sent this album to review, yet attempting to discover anything out about it is nigh on impossible. The artist’s website hasn’t been properly updated in years, and attempts to contact them directly has met with no response. What I know for certain is the band is led by Doug Rausch (vocals, keyboards), and this is the second release (following on from the debut in 2010). The actual band line-up is completed by Joe Fine (bass), Gary Wehrkamp (guitar) and Chris Ruffini (drums) and I believe that guests include Mark Zonder (Fates Warning), Ryo Okumoto (Spock’s Beard) and guitarist Brendt Allman (Shadow Gallery).
The real reason I am so frustrated is that this is a bloody excellent album, one that I have enjoyed playing a great deal, yet I’m not sure if it is ever going to gain the kudos it deserves. Musically it has a lot in common with City Boy, Queen, and 3rdDegree with plenty of piano-based soft melodic prog rockers which are real songs, that are stacked full of commercial riffs and great vocals. I’ve even found myself singing some of the songs from the album around the house, something that happens incredibly rarely. It doesn’t seem to matter which track I am listening to, as whatever one that is, is definitely my favorite of the moment. This is a truly superb album which will appeal to lovers of all type of melodic music as they switch from bombastic rock to acoustic guitar into something more rocky then let piano take control and drive it all along. This truly is a wonderful album that makes me smile each and every time I play it and isn’t that sometimes all we need? https://rausch.bandcamp.com
8/10
by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | Reviews
By Kev Rowland
Between the second and third albums, there were some changes in the Perfect Beings camp, most notably the loss of the rhythm section so that the band was now operating as a trio with additional guest musicians. Ben Levin provides drums on the album which was released at the beginning of 2018, but he has since been replaced by Sein Reinart, and while Johannes Luley picked up the bass duties alongside his guitar, he has now happily put aside the four strings for Jason Lobell. This album also sees a much higher use of woodwind and brass, and since the album, they have been joined by saxophonist/ flutist Brett McDonald. Also, they are no longer releasing their music on their own label but have signed with Inside Out, a major step forward in so many ways.
With so much happening on the personal front, it probably isn’t surprising that the band have also created a sound that is different to what has gone before. It took me a long way to come up with a way of best describing the music, but in the end, I felt that the only real description that worked for me was “Yes, distilled and concentrated”. Yes have always been an important aspect of the music, but here Perfect Beings have taken it to a whole new level, much more so than the original band. Johannes has revealed in playing fretless bass, bringing it even further to the fore than Chris Tristram had previously, while Ryan Hurtgen is as powerful, clean and melodic as he has always been, and Jesse Nason is happy to keep it all together with a modern sounding approach to keyboards.
A big musical difference between this and the other albums is the use of saxophone (particularly) and other brass and woodwind instruments. Max Kaplan (various saxophones and clarinets) has had a huge role to play on the overall sound of this album, and while the guests don’t feature on every song, where they are used they have an immediate impact. Japanese koto and erdu musicians are used alongside cello, tabla, flugelhorn, flute, bass flute, trombone and the Vienna Symphonic Library, all brought into a musical journey, divided into four movements. It is an incredibly deep album, with a breadth of thought that goes on forever, and at times moves into the modern orchestra soundscape area that is normally thought of as being the domain of Karda Estra. Yet, even with all this going on, it is still an incredibly light album in many ways, one that it is easy to get inside the heart of, which allows the listener to be swept along on an amazing musical journey. It is an album that cries out to be heard on headphones when there is enough time to sit and relax back into it.
This is easily their finest album to date, and I fully expect it to be in my Top Ten albums at the end of the year as I can’t expect to come across many more finer than this. 9/10
http://perfectbeingsband.com
by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | Reviews
By Kev Rowland
What we have here, in effect, is a Russian supergroup featuring musicians from various prog and prog-related Russian bands including Yojo, Algabas, Enine, Roz Vitalis, KGB etc. Apparently, the fundamental goal of the band and its debut album is to open new musical worlds that cannot be analyzed in a rational manner. The applied goal of the band and its debut album is to reveal how to protect peace of mind in the conditions of troubles and stress. So there you go. I have always been a huge fan of Ivan Rozmainsky and Roz Vitalis, so when I was offered the opportunity to hear this I jumped at the chance, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Russian bands continue to excite me, as they are producing some of the most interesting music to be coming through the progressive rock scene. Their reference points are quite different from most Western bands, and often it is only King Crimson that could be seen to be an influence, and that is again the case here. There is a mix of progressive rock, with an almost classical approach. There are stacks of space within the music so much so that it is almost like another instrument, pushing apart the layers and making its presence felt. The music is often delicate, but also clearly defined, with an almost staccato approach that makes it feel strong and empowered. The avant-garde collides with the melodic, to create an album that is constantly inspiring, constantly evolving, and thoroughly enjoyable. This is well worth hearing for any proghead, https://rozmainskymikhaylovproject.bandcamp.com8/10
by Kev Rowland | Jun 2, 2018 | Reviews
by Kev Rowland
‘Reformat’ evolved from a collection of songs written by Luke Pajak and produced by his friend and long-suffering collaborator, Russ Russell (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir, At the Gates, The Wildhearts, The Exploited, Evile, The Haunted, Lock Up, Defecation, Meathook Seed, The Berzerker, The Rotted, Space Ritual and many, many more). They were then joined by Jay Russell on drums and electronics and the result is this their debut album. I’ve been playing this album a great deal, and I am still at a loss as to how to describe it. The keyboard sounds are right out of the early Eighties, with strong guitars (sometimes), weird electronic noises (sometimes), a feeling of electro which is way more melodic than it should be (sometimes), and rock-based jazz drummer. Confused? I am, and I’m listening to it! I know, let’s go to their FB site and see how they describe it themselves “The sound has been compared to an obsolete games console recalling chiptunes sung by their factory siblings before they were separated and packaged for sale. Others have described it as the sound of a 56k modem dialing directly into their psyche. The album is also a soundtrack to a cross-media concept that features an interactive adventure inspired by 1980s sci-fi films.” Yes, that all makes sense… not!
I really have no idea what is going on, except that it is incredibly infectious, and when I am playing it I am taken to some sort of happy place and I am smiling (although not drooling, drooling is bad). It is an intriguing album, from the artwork through the different instrumentals, and while some songs could be termed as neo-prog, crossover prog or even electronic prog, one of the delights of this album is an apparent refusal to sit within any particular genre. What I do know is that it isn’t nearly as heavy as Russ Russell’s CV would suggest, but he does know how to generate interesting sounds. Definitely worth investigating.
8/10
